Fall River native named Division 1 Coach of the Year after record-breaking season

MILTON, MA – Bryant University head men’s soccer coach and Fall River native Ruben Resendes added a Division I honor to his resume when he was named the DI Coach of the Year by the New England Soccer Journal.

This is the second straight year that Resendes has been named Coach of the Year by the publication. He earned the Division II honor in 2022 after leading Franklin Pierce to a national championship.

In his first year at Bryant, Resendes and the Bulldogs had a record-breaking season. Under Resendes’ guidance, the Black and Gold went from a 3-10-1 record and winless in their conference slate in 2022 to a 16-2-2 team that won the America East Conference Championship in 2023. Bryant also consistently led the nation in goals against average, save percentage, shutout percentage, win-loss-tie percentage, and goal differential. On top of that, the Bulldogs were ranked for the first time in program history and peaked at #19 by the end of the season. The Black and Gold also climbed their way through the RPI rankings, ending the campaign at 21st in the nation.

This is the first time that a Bryant head coach has been selected as Coach of the Year by the New England Soccer Journal.

Prior to his arrival at Bryant, Resendes and his staff were recognized as the United States Soccer Coaches as the East Region Coaching Staff of the Year for both years while at Franklin Pierce. Prior to arriving at Franklin Pierce, Resendes was the top assistant coach at the University of Vermont, helping guide the Catamounts to an America East Conference Championship in 2017. He also served as the head coach at Dean College, where he helped transition the program to the NCAA level. During his time at Dean, Resendes posted a 33-3 record, winning the regular season championship with a 16-1 record and earning East Region Coach of the Year honors. He also worked with the New England Revolution of Major League Soccer as scout for the First Team and Academy and coached the U23 and Academy teams.  

The Fall River native played two seasons at the New England Revolution Academy before enjoying a successful career at Southern New Hampshire University where he earned All-America honors and three All-Region selections.